# William Daniel Phillips

_Physics Nobel laureate_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/william-daniel-phillips
Last updated: 2026-11-01

> William Daniel Phillips is an American physicist. He shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1997 with Steven Chu and Claude Cohen-Tannoudji.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 5 November 1948 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q190756#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Wilkes-Barre ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q190756#P19))
- **Citizenship:** United States ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q190756#P27))
- **Occupation:** physicist; university teacher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q190756#P106))
- **Education:** Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Camp Hill High School; Juniata College ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q190756#P69))
- **Awards:** Nobel Prize in Physics; Albert A. Michelson Medal; Arthur S. Flemming Award; Richtmyer Memorial Lecture Award; Fellow of the American Physical Society; Arthur L. Schawlow Prize in Laser Science; Fellow of the Optical Society; Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Samuel Wesley Stratton Award; Moyal Medal; honorary doctorate from ENS ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q190756#P166))

## Questions

**When was William Daniel Phillips born?**  
William Daniel Phillips was born on 5 November 1948 in Wilkes-Barre.

**Where did William Daniel Phillips study?**  
William Daniel Phillips was educated at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Camp Hill High School, Juniata College.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): William Daniel Phillips](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Daniel_Phillips) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q190756](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q190756) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: William Phillips-physicist photo.jpg by NIST (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:William_Phillips-physicist_photo.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article William Daniel Phillips, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: William Phillips-physicist photo.jpg — NIST, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"William Daniel Phillips". DigiNepal. Last updated 1 November 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/william-daniel-phillips. Retrieved 5 November 2026.